Ed Davey visits farm and says rural vote 'critical' in local elections

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Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has declared that the rural vote will be ‘critical’ at the local elections taking place in just five weeks across England.

Ed Davey today visited a farm in Bickleigh, Devon to hear the concerns of the farming community directly, after launching the party’s local election campaign earlier this week - driving a tractor into a ‘Blue Wall’ of hay bales.

He said the elections will be a chance to send a message to the Conservative Government that farming communities must no longer be taken for granted.

With the Government announcement of the Indo-Pacific trade deal today [31 March], Liberal Democrats are concerned that farmers are still being taken for granted by the Conservatives. The party are calling for a Parliamentary vote to be held on the new deal, which will add just 0.08% to the British economy over 10 years, after the Government denied such a vote on the Australia trade deal.

After visiting a farm in Bickleigh, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: 

“The Government is failing to recognise farmers are the lifeblood of our rural communities.

“Agriculture in our country supports so many industries and businesses including feed suppliers, engineering companies and even tourism.

"Meanwhile, rural services have been cut to the bone and those with off grid heating had to wait until February to get the same help that everyone else got in October.

“With local elections coming up in May, farmers are still being left behind with basic payments being slashed and ELMS not yet in sight while the cost of living is still biting. The rural vote will be critical in sending a message to the Conservative Government that farmers will not be taken for granted.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Photos of Ed Davey, taken 31 March by Matt Smith, at Backswood Farm in Bickleigh